A couple weeks ago I went on a home tour of newly remodeled homes in my 40+ year-old housing development/neighborhood. Amazing what people are doing to update and decorate older ranch and tri-level homes. Here are three of my favorite finds.

  

1. Art. In the past I've recommended laminating kids and grandkids art into placemats. Simple and functional. At one home I found two metal lines strung across a short wall in the hallway where children's art was displayed with metal clips (see House of Hepworths for more great art display ideas). Adults could use this for recipes or poetry or art prints or instructions above a work bench. Get creative.

 

2. Books. In a child's bedroom books were displayed in roof gutters. Ingenious! Two white, plastic-coated 5' sections of roof gutter were installed on a wall about one and three feet up from the floor with bolts securely fixed in the studs. Colorful books were then placed all along the gutter's opening. It only stuck out about 3" from the wall and was easily accessible for little readers. No oversized bookcases taking up important real estate. Colorful and simple (and no painting required)!  What else could you display in this clever idea?

 

3. Bulletin board. Two small sections of an outdoor window shutter were hung upside down on either side of wall art painted to look like window panes. Photos, notes, and memorabilia were held in place with wooden clothes pins clipped on the shutter slats (which upside made the slats open outward instead of slant in toward the wall). The pins could also be colorful plastic, painted or decorated.

 

This week look for simple solutions to organize your life, home or office.  If you have some clever, unqiue, or fun ideas for decluttering, organizing, or simplifying, I'd love to incude them in upcoming Feng Shui Fridays.

 

Until next week

Wishing you Simplified Interiors

Kathie Seedroff